Florida Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

March 28, 2025

News: Woman, 55, dies after being struck by 2 vehicles in Ocala

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

OCALA, FL – A woman died after she was struck by two vehicles in Marion County early Thursday morning, according to the Ocala StarBanner.

The Florida Highway Patrol, Marion County Fire Rescue and Ocala Fire Rescue responded to the incident shortly before 5:30 a.m.

The FHP said the pedestrian was walking in the right southbound lane of South Pine Avenue in Ocala when she was struck near Southeast 39th Place by a Jeep Grand Cherokee sport utility vehicle. The driver of a second vehicle, a Volkswagen Encore, swerved to avoid the Jeep and also hit the pedestrian, The victim, a 55-year-old Ocala woman, was pronounced dead at the scene.

March 27, 2025

News: Alleged drunk driver crashes into patrol car of Pasco County deputy

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

PASCO COUNTY, FL – Authorities arrested an alleged drunk driver following a collision in Pasco County early Saturday morning, WFTS reported.

The accident happened on State Road 54 at Eiland Boulevard in Zephyrhills at about 3:43 a.m. The Florida Highway Patrol said two Pasco County Sheriff’s Office patrol cars were making a traffic stop at that location.

The vehicles were stopped with their emergency lights activated when one of them was rear-ended by another vehicle. The driver of the vehicle that struck the patrol car was charged with DUI and taken to the Pasco County Jail.

March 26, 2025

News: Driver sought in Marion County hit-and-run that injured pedestrian

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

MARION COUNTY, FL – A search is underway for the driver who struck and injured a pedestrian in Marion County on Monday, March 17.

According to the Ocala Star-Banner, the victim was walking on the shoulder of County Road 42 near Southeast 203rd Avenue in Umatilla when the incident happened at about 2:30 a.m.

The Florida Highway Patrol said the pedestrian was struck from behind by an unknown vehicle that veered off the road near Southeast 203rd Avenue. The victim, a 27-year-old Ocala man, suffered injuries that were serious but not life-threatening.

March 25, 2025

News: Collision on State Road 19 leaves man dead, 2 teens injured

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

LAKE COUNTY, FL – A wrong-way driver was involved in a fatal collision on State Road 19 in Lake County Saturday night, reports WKMG.

The Florida Highway Patrol said a 17-year-old boy was driving a 2020 Audi A3 southbound near Arrowtree Boulevard at about 11:40 p.m. The teen veered into the northbound lane and entered the path of a 2013 Ford Mustang, and the Audi crashed into the Ford. The impact caused the Ford to go off the road and hit a ditch.

The Ford driver, a 30-year-old man from Dunnellon, died at the scene. He was not believed to have been wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident.

March 24, 2025

News: New Port Richey man dies after collision of motorcycle and motorhome

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

PASCO COUNTY, FL – A motorcycle and a motorhome were involved in a collision near an intersection in Pasco County on Thursday evening, Pasco News Online reported.

The Florida Highway Patrol said the operator of a Yamaha motorcycle was heading east on State Road 52 when he tried to make a right turn onto northbound U.S. 41. The rider, a 19-year-old New Port Richey man, lost control of the motorcycle and the bike overturned.

The motorcycle and the man slid into the northbound lanes of U.S. 41 and collided with the motorhome. The motorcyclist was pronounced dead after being taken to a an area hospital. The driver of the motorhome was not injured.

March 21, 2025

News: 2 injured in collision involving USPS tractor-trailer on I-75 near Micanopy

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

MICANOPY, FL – A collision in Alachua County Wednesday morning left two people injured and disrupted traffic along Interstate 75, according to the Main Street Daily News.

The crash happened on southbound I-75 near the mile marker 374 exit ramp near Micanopy. The Florida Highway Patrol said a U.S. Postal Service tractor-trailer crashed into a Ford pickup truck.

The pickup was parked with no lights activated and was partially blocking the outside lane when the driver of the southbound tractor-trailer swerved to avoid it, but collided with the stopped vehicle. The tractor-trailer overturned as a result of the impact.

March 20, 2025

When is it Too Late to File a Personal Injury Lawsuit? Statute of Limitations Explained

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

When you are injured in an accident, the clock starts ticking on how long you must file a personal injury claim against they at-fault party. Your priority should be to make sure all your injuries are tended to by a doctor, but as soon as you are able, it is best to consult with a personal injury lawyer who can begin helping with your case right away. You do not want to have your case invalidated or dismissed because you were not aware of the time constraints placed on how long you must file.

When you are injured in an accident caused by another person’s negligence, your first concern is not usually how long you have to file a claim against that person to recover compensation for your damages. However, this is something that you need to keep in mind because you don’t have an endless amount of time to file a claim against the negligent party. There is a statute of limitations placed on how long you can file a lawsuit for damages.

Statutes of limitations are state laws that limit the amount of time that legal action can be taken after an accident occurs. Statutes of limitations are logically designed to help resolve legal issues in a fair amount of time.

March 20, 2025

News: Citrus County teacher killed in accident involving van and dump truck

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

CITRUS COUNTY, FL – A two-vehicle crash claimed the life of a Citrus County school teacher last week, according to a WFTS report.

The collision, involving a dump truck and a minivan, happened March 12 on West Homosassa Trail. The Florida Highway Patrol stated that 50-year-old Crystal Jackson was driving her Dodge minivan eastbound shortly after 7 a.m. when the dump truck, traveling westbound, attempted to turn left and struck her vehicle.

Jackson, a social studies teacher at Lecanto Middle School, died in the wreck. Her three children who were with her in the car, two girls 15 and 16 and a 12-year-old boy, were taken to area hospitals with injuries that were not life-threatening.

March 19, 2025

News: Vehicle slams into tree on NW 4th Avenue in Newberry, killing motorist

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

GAINESVILLE, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol has released details of a fatal collision that occurred Friday night in Alachua County.

According to a report in the Gainesville Sun, a 45-year-old man from Gainesville died in the wreck. The FHP’s investigation determined that he was driving a 2011 Chevrolet Camaro eastbound on NW Fourth Avenue in Newberry when the incident occurred at 10:25 p.m.

The car veered to the right near NW 251st Street, crossed onto the south shoulder and collided with a tree head-on. The motorist died after being rushed to UF Health Shands Hospital. He was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, state troopers said.

March 18, 2025

News: Driver killed in head-on collision with tractor-trailer on U.S. 301

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

DADE CITY, FL – One person was killed and another injured in a collision involving a wrong-way driver in Pasco County on Friday morning, Pasco News Online reports.

The crash, involving a pickup truck and a tractor-trailer, occurred on U.S. 301 in Dade City shortly before 5 a.m. The Florida Highway Patrol said a man was driving a GMC Sierra south in the northbound lanes and collided head-on with a northbound tractor-trailer near Mickler Road.

The Sierra driver, who was not immediately identified, died at the scene. The tractor-trailer driver, a 41-year-old Haines City man, was taken to an area hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.